1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device and a method for automatically turning over a disc, which is applied in a data-burning/printing process for automatically turning over a disc to burn or to print data in both sides of the disc.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, the disc turn-over technology is applied in two kinds of disc-recording processes: one is the production of the double-sided discs, namely both sides of the disc can be stored with data, and the other is the production of the light-printing (Light Scribe/Label Flash) discs, namely one side of the disc is stored with data, and the other side of the disc is provided for laser etched labels with text or graphics.
However, a common automatic duplication system is only applicable in a single-sided burning/copying process and its robotic arm can move up and down along an axis. When reaching a specific height (normally above the tray of the duplication system), the robotic arm can horizontally rotate. The robotic arm performs the following operations during the duplication process:
1. The arm rotates to the zone A and then will vertically move to pick up a blank disc;
2. The arm will vertically move together with the blank disc to the height above the tray of the duplication system;
3. The arm will rotate together with the blank disc to the zone B above the tray;
4. The arm will vertically move within the zone B to load the blank disc on the tray for performing the burning operation;
5. After the burning of the blank disc, the disc will vertically move to pick up the burned disc; and
6. The arm will rotate to the zone C together with the burned disc, and then will unload the burned disc.
Subsequently, the steps 1-6 will be repeated over and over again, so that the automatic duplication of the single sided burning/printing can be performed continually.
Please refer to U.S. Pat. No. 6,141,298, entitled “PROGRAMMABLE SELF-OPERATING COMPACT DISC DUPLICATION SYSTEM”, the system includes a pivotal transport tower 58 provided with a disk suction pickup unit 54, the disk suction pickup unit 54 can be ascended and descended to move the disc between the respective stacked disk drive receptacle members 82 and the respective disk-collecting pillars 50, 52a, 52b to perform the burning of the blank disk and then collecting the finished disk. Although such a structure can perform the disc-changing operation, it cannot perform the disc-turning operation, namely the discs are also manually or with an extra device turned over with a specific period. In addition, it is to be noted that there is no machine capable of performing both disc-turning and disc-changing operations in the present market.
Currently, there are mainly two conventional methods for turning a disc over:
1. The first method is to manually turn over the stacked discs of the zone C (one side of these stacked discs has been burned) wholly and then move them to the zone A for repeating the steps 1-6;
2. The second method is to add an extra turn-over mechanism in the zone C to turn over the discs one by one, and then make use of the robotic arm to pick up the turned discs on the zone C and repeat the steps 2-5 and finally rotate the arm to unload the both sides finished discs on the zone D.
The above conventional disc-recording processes require applying the turn-over technology and actually suffer from many disadvantages such as:
1. The robotic arm can only move up and down and rotate horizontally, and the conventional duplication system needs providing an extra turn-over mechanism to turn over the discs, thus causing high equipment cost;
2. The processes of taking out, turning over and taking back the disc takes lots of time, thus greatly increasing the working time of the duplication system;
3. The conventional duplication system must provide an extra zone D for the both sides finished discs, thus causing the vain space waste.